IDUKKI: Two persons were killed and a woman injured grievously after a landslide buried a temporary shed at a farmland in Kottakamboor, Vattavada, in Idukki district amid heavy rain on Sunday afternoon.
The deceased were Balakrishnan, 47, and his sister Chinnu, 38. Balakrishnan’s wife Mariyamma, who too was inside the shed, was admitted to a private hospital in Munnar. The three were working at Balakrishnan’s farmland when the rain intensified in the Munnar-Vattavada region.
According to eyewitnesses, they moved into a small farm shed nearby to take shelter from the rain. However, the hillside above the shed suddenly gave way, sending mud, rocks and debris crashing onto the structure. The shed was destroyed and the three were trapped underneath.
Local residents rushed to the spot after hearing a loud noise and immediately began rescue operations. Continuous rain and the difficult terrain initially made it difficult to bring machinery to the site.
The rescuers then removed the mud manually, using their hands and wooden poles, and eventually pulled all three out. However, Chinnu and Balakrishnan had died by then. Their bodies were shifted to the Adimali taluk hospital for postmortem examination.
The incident has caused concern among local residents as several farmers in Vattavada have similar temporary sheds in their agricultural plots. The region, including Vattavada, Pampadum Shola and Kottakamboor, has been receiving heavy rain for the past few days.
A bridge on the route from Vattavada to Thattampara was also washed away in the heavy rain, disrupting traffic along the stretch.
Balakrishnan is survived by his children Vijayalakshmi, Lokesh and Nandini, while Chinnu is survived by her husband Chinnamani and children Vishnu and Megha.
Trapped under debris
Balakrishnan, his wife Mariyamma, and his sister Chinnu were working at his farmland when the rain intensified in the Munnar-Vattavada region. According to eyewitnesses, they moved into a small farm shed nearby to take shelter from the rain. However, the hillside above the shed suddenly gave way, sending mud, rocks and debris crashing onto the structure. The shed was destroyed and the three were trapped underneath